Suspension doesn’t bother me - Malema

ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema says he and his co-accused don’t care about being suspended.

Speaking on Thursday in Bloemfontein, where an ANC national executive committee was due to start on Friday, he said: “We are going to be suspended. We do not care.

“We are not about to be sellouts. We are ready for anything.”

Malema lodged an appeal on Thursday to have his five-year suspension overturned.

It is understood that papers were dropped off at businessman and ANC top gun Cyril Ramaphosa’s office between 4pm and 5pm on Thursday. Ramaphosa is the chairman of the ANC’s disciplinary appeals panel.

The other youth league leaders have also apparently lodged their appeals and had them dropped off at Ramaphosa’s office. The five ANCYL members had 14 days to appeal against their suspensions.

The ANC on Thursday night had yet to confirm having received the appeal.

ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said on Thursday he didn’t know what the youth leader would be handing in, or whether the document contained heads of argument.

Malema has argued that the ANC’s national disciplinary committee had not taken into consideration a league resolution that required the involvement of ANCYL disciplinary structures when the ANC was dealing with serious charges related to its youth wing.

Malema has also argued that the ANC does not have the power to suspend him.

Malema is also expected to argue that the harsh sentences had been the idea of ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe. - The Star